Bloodlines
by kangaroos
Summary: An A/U Palex Mystery/Suspence Fic. Warning: PG-14. There will be some gory, gruesome scenes and scary stuff in the fic.
1. Chapter 1

**BLOODLINES**

**Warning**: **Not for the weak hearted, there are going to be some gory, gruesome scenes and scary stuff in here. PG-14**

**A/N: **so yeah, i guess i got in the mood like 2 hrs ago and since i had promised that if i get a good idea, i'll post, I decided to write this. Let me know what u guys think.  
I'm sorry but there's no way i can finish this fic by Halloween; hope u'll keep reading anyway. and it hasn't been beta'd so bear with me.

**Summary:** a Palex Halloween Fic

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of it's characters.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

A myth to a common person, the 'Force' had its roots in all branches and areas of crime prevention. The cases that the 'Force' was asked to solve could not be dealt by any other branch. These were the cases that even a police officer was not equipped to know. The monogram that was made to resemble that of FBI's with a golden 'F' emblem, was anything but that, because the cases the 'Force' dealt with could even make any FBI agent's spine shudder. Any knowledge of the cases could make a whole city restless and fearful if they knew that crimes like these were even committed in the cities they considered safe.

The expertise of the 'Force' was to investigate phenomena like pentagrams and witchcraft, curses, practices of human sacrifices, legends and old artifacts. Their purpose was to find the meanings of all these and investigate such practices. The officers of the 'Force' risked their lives as much as any other crime branch but they had taken an oath to secrecy, to never disclose the operations of the 'Force' to any living soul.

The physical training to enter the 'Force' required a training equivalent to any police academy but this was only the beginning. All recruits had to go through extensive tests and evaluation to train them to face any horrific situation they could possibly encounter while on duty.

Extensive fear tests, optimal performances under maximum stress levels and target practicing with blindfolds, were only a minor part of the training exercises offered by the 'Force' academy. The 'Force' demanded only the best of the best and agent Alex Nunez was just that. She had been on the 'Force' for two years now.

When the Montreal branch of the 'Force' had been unable to solve the mystery of the serial killings that had been reported to have occurred in East Montreal in the span of four years, they had asked for a good officer from the Toronto branch to come and help them. Alex Nunez was the first name that was recommended. Because of her intelligence and expert performance in solving the 'Shomak case' of Waterloo, she had been promoted to a rank of a senior agent within the second year of her entry into the 'Force'. She was given one junior agent to serve under her, Gavin Mason; and two uniform officers at her disposal at all times during any case investigation.

However, now she had safely returned home to Toronto and was currently on a leave of absence for a couple of days so that she could help with the preparation of the wedding of her old friend, Jay Hogart.

* * *

"Paige what are you doing out on the bench? It's time to go."  
Dylan called Paige for the third time to come back inside the church. The funeral was over and most people had started to leave.

The death of Peter Michalchuk had been hard for the whole family that consisted of her parents, David and Rose Michalchuk and her brother, Dylan. But Paige had taken the death harder than anyone had. After the death of Beth, her grandmother and the wife of Peter Michalchuk, they had both found solace in each other. Her grandfather used to tell her stories about their family and she used to tell him stories of her high school and college in exchange. The bond they shared was special to both of them and Paige knew that she was going to miss him very much now that he was gone. She took out the piece of paper that was the last thing her grandfather had given to her. It was the Michalchuk family tree drawn on a parchment paper.

"Paige?" Paige looked up at the beautiful brown-haired woman who stood in front of her.  
The girl was slender but looked tough at the same time. Her figure blocking the sun was giving her an angelic look. Paige couldn't stop staring at her.  
She completely ignored that the brunette knew her name.

"The curly blonde guy? Is he related to you?"

"Huh? Yeah, he's my brother."  
Paige rolled her eyes at the thought of another beautiful female falling for her brother.

"Well, he's been calling your name forever. Aren't you gonna go inside?"

"No, I think I'll just sit here a bit longer."  
Paige, still feeling a little nostalgic, replied, looking down once again at the paper she held inside a diary.

"Do you mind if I sit with you then?"  
Alex, sensing the disturbed mood of the blonde girl, decided to give her company.

Jay Hogart and his fiancé, Cristy, had gone inside the church to confirm arrangements for their upcoming wedding next week and Alex had felt completely out of place this whole time. She had spotted the blonde girl sitting outside the church as soon as they had come in. Something about this girl had struck a chord deep within her. The beauty of the girl had caused Alex to want to talk to her ever since she had laid eyes on her.

"Not at all." Paige smiled.

Alex sat down next to her. She wanted to say something but she was surprised at her own nervousness.

_'If anyone from the 'Force' could see me now, they would certainly be laughing.' _  
Alex smiled at herself.

"So what brought you here?" Paige casually initiated the conversation since it provided her another chance to look at the brunette who now sat beside her.

"My friend, Jay. He's getting married in this church next week so he asked me to come along."  
"That's sweet."

"What?" Alex asked.

"Your friend asking you to come, it's sweet."

"Yeah, I guess. Why are you here?"

"My grandpa. We had his funeral just now."

"I'm sorry." Alex unconsciously placed her hand on the blonde's. It was as if electricity had passed through both of them. They both stared at each other as both pulled their hands back, feeling as if a line had been crossed somehow.

"I should go." Alex stood up.

"Yeah, I should go too before Dylan sends a search team for me. It was nice meeting you."

"Yeah, same here. Will I see you again?"

"I don't know. I don't even know your name if I wanted to look you up."  
Paige said, surprising herself.

"Alex Nunez." She stretched her arm as an excuse to touch Paige once again.

"Paige Michalchuk." Paige shook her hand.

"You can always come by the church next weekend and ask for the best woman." Alex suggested another way for them to meet again.

"I'll keep that in mind." Paige giggled.

"Bye." Alex said before she went inside the church and Paige watched her.

* * *

In the evidence room, both Agent Alex Nunez and her junior partner Agent Gavin Mason were busy examining the evidence that they had found not a few hours ago. The room was decorated with white ceramic tiles on the walls and the floor, giving it a mortuary look; but it was not something the two agents weren't used to. Many of their days and nights had been spent here, examining evidence and searching for clues through them.

"What's up with you?" Agent Mason asked.

"What, Gavin?" She looked up at him. He was smiling.

"I could never think a switchblade soaked in goat's blood was even mildly funny."

"What are you talking about?"  
Alex asked looking up as she removed the latex gloves from her hands and disposed them in the bio-hazard can.

"You were smiling, Nunez." He informed her.

"No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. Now tell me what the deal is?"

"There's no deal."

"Okay, so she said, 'no'."  
Gavin Mason gloated even though a girl saying 'no' to Alex, in no way, improved his score in the department.

"No," Alex defended herself, "I didn't ask yet."

"Are you going to?"

"I don't know."

"Then that's a, 'no'."  
Mason was persistent.

"It's a 'maybe', Gavin." She said, deflecting the conversation back to the switchblade, "There's some sort of writing on it. Find out what it says. Why would a person leave a knife with goat's blood unless he wanted us to find it?"

"Hmmm, how do you know it's a man?" Mason asked.

"Part of the blade is blunt because of the force applied to it. It's definitely a man."

"What do you think it means?"

"I don't know yet. Examine it for fingerprints, although, I don't think we would find anything. Also, run a check for any blood or anything suspicious in the fifty meter radius. Call me on my cell as soon as you find anything." Alex said as she took off the white coat and put on her jacket. "I'm going to go home and do my homework on blades tonight."

"Some lullaby to fall asleep to."  
Mason winked his left eye.

"Better than running a scan on them."  
She winked back at him.

* * *

Paige pulled out the paper out of her purse and placed it on her study table. She picked up a black pen and put 'Michalchuk Family Tree' on the top of the parchment paper. She then put the year of death of Peter Michalchuk under his name, filling in the blank year… '2008'

***********take a look at the Bloodline PICTURE 1; Chapter1 i've posted on my profile page.***********

Then she picked up a writing pad and just started doodling on it. The name she had written down in the middle of her doodling was 'Alex Nunez'.

* * *

"What did you find, Gavin?" Alex asked, picking up her cell phone.  
The ring tone was set specifically for Gavin Mason just in case she had to pick it in the dark, she knew who to yell at without having to read the caller ID. Tonight, it hadn't been that late, though she was in her pajamas, half lying with the laptop on her lap. She was still reading up on switchblades.

"Get this, Alex. It's an artifact alright. A fifteenth century old artifact. They don't make this kind anymore. The metal acquired to make it was mixed with an alloy that's not used anymore for the mere reason that it's not strong enough. This explains why the blade is blunted… it wasn't meant to cut flesh, goat or human. Why was the switchblade used at all, considering it's a comparatively harmless weapon anyway, I still have no clue."

"Hmmm, did you check the area for anything?"  
Alex, somehow, was not surprised by the information she had just received.

"How do you know what questions to ask, Alex?"

"So you did find something?"

"Yeah, another blade, exactly like this one."

"Any blood on it?"

"No, it's clean."

"Did you find out what it says on the blade yet?"

"Yeah, it's a family name and not even a common one for that. This looks like an easy one, Alex."

"A name?"  
Alex was surprised. 'This really did look too easy'.

"Yeah, it says 'Michalchuk' on it."

"Michalchuk? Okay Mason, I'm on my way to the office."

* * *

To be continued...  
please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ** some background.  
Thanks **andtototoo** and **Jocelyn Torrent** for beta/advice/other help.

**Warning**: **PG-14** There is a gory/bloody scene in this chap.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of it's characters.

**

* * *

_Chapter 2_**

Alex sighed as she turned off her laptop and quickly got off the bed. She headed to her walk-in closet and hastily picked a set of clothing from the neatly hanging racks. She swiftly tied the brown silky hair with a hair-band in a tight ponytail in order to get it away from her face. Grabbing her patent navy blue blazer, a cherished gift from her deceased Dad; she grabbed the keys to her SUV from the table and rushed out of the condo. The two-bedroom, well decorated, luxury condominium was one of the benefits the 'Force' had provided to all its employees along with the BMW SUV, but Alex loved her job enough that even without these little perks, she still would have happily worked at the 'Force'.

As soon as Alex got, off of the highway, she took the north road that led to the industrial end of the city. The late hour of the night insured absolutely no traffic on this road and the only light was that from the moon itself. After driving for a few minutes on a narrow road, she turned onto a deserted unpaved gravel road that led to a large garage door of a warehouse.

Pushing a button with her left foot in the car, Alex watched as the garage door began to rise with the faintest of sounds, giving way to the underground parking lot.

Although the outlook of this building made it look like an old worn-out warehouse, the insides were contrary to the fact. The parking lot itself was equipped with the most modern design: lots of security cameras, and of course, the stainless steel capsule of an elevator. The old barn look was to keep the place hidden from any suspicion or from any uninvited passer-bys who could have come here by accident.

Alex parked her car at her designated parking spot and walked out to the elevator. Once inside, she pressed the button to the fourth floor. The button with the built-in finger print scanner, confirming her identity, started to move as Alex's thoughts started to drift.

**

* * *

**There was something majestic about the blonde woman that had sat on the wooden bench outside of the church. She was lost in her own thoughts, unaffected by the frigid October weather. Snow flurries drifted about, carrying with them the faint smell of red maple leaves. She sat in her black dress, encircled by the autumn foliage, utterly claiming everything around her. The entire setting had reminded Alex of a painting she must've seen somewhere and she hadn't been able to erase that image out of her head.

The attraction that Alex felt was not just limited to the woman's beauty. There was something else there; a pull, some sort of a magnetism that was hard for Alex to explain. The way she had stared at Alex, the way her translucent grey eyes captured her mourning for her lost loved one. The way her eyes could reveal every thought she was thinking or emotion she was feeling blew Alex away. In fact, it was all Alex had thought about for the last three days.

Alex felt as if she was supposed to know this woman, as if she was somehow connected to her, linked to her even. Meeting her for the first time had felt like they'd known each other all their lives; and a constant need to see her again, Alex had felt in her heart.

When Gavin had mentioned the name on the knife's inscription, it had taken Alex by a complete surprise. The chances of meeting a stranger for the first time and then hearing the same name again in relation to a case was more than a coincidence and could not be easily ignored by a 'Force' agent.

**

* * *

**By the time Alex had gotten out of the elevator, Gavin was already waiting for her.

Alex had first met Gavin Mason during her recruit training. She had already been in the program for three months when he had joined. He was relatively short but with an intimidating thick build. However, Alex knew the heart that lived beneath his burly exterior and she had the Shomak case to thank for it.

Gavin was assigned to be her junior partner for the case and Alex had found him to be an intelligent and committed agent; but what had really brought them closer was him risking his own life to save Alex's. He had taken the bullet that had Alex's name written all over it.

Fred Shomak was no ordinary killer. He was a psychopath who had given a new meaning to the yard thrasher. Not only had they found enough evidence to build a case against him in his house, they had also found all the dismembered body parts of three of his victims in the decomposer in his backyard and some remains in the yard thrasher. The cruelty with which he had killed these innocent people was unimaginable.

Alex had come outside to confirm her findings with the Chief over the phone when Fred had unexpectedly come back home. Alex had her back to him and Fred had aimed and fired at her. If Gavin had not spotted him just in time and if he had not responded promptly, the bullet would have certainly been fatal for Alex.

Unfortunately, Gavin had not had enough time to push Alex out of the way and get out of the way as well. The bullet had pierced just below his right shoulder, damaging the soft tissue of his chest and puncturing his right lung in the process. Gavin's intervention had provided Alex with enough time to shoot back at Fred.

By the time the paramedics had arrived, Gavin had already fainted because of the blood loss and lack of oxygen to his tissues. It had taken him four months to fully recover and return to work. Alex had religiously visited him at the hospital and was grateful to Gavin for saving her life. Therefore, when she was offered to choose an assistant agent, she would have picked agent Gavin Mason with her eyes closed. There was nobody else she trusted more on the 'Force' than him.

"They're waiting in the briefing room," Gavin had informed her.

"What? The Chief's here too?" she asked in surprise. "I thought we were just running a quick scan on the blade?"

Mason just shrugged in reply.

Chief's presence was enough to warn Alex that something more serious was going on here. It was a rare thing for the Chief to attend late night briefings like this and it was only then that they used the formal briefing rooms. Mostly the briefings used to take place in either the evidence room or in Alex's office.

"Did chief say anything?" Alex asked.

"No, but he seemed, umm… a little pre-occupied. I don't know what to make out of it, except that it looks like things are more complicated than what we had initially thought."

"The blood isn't goat's, is it?" Alex asked with a sigh.

He looked at her wide-eyed as if he was not expecting her to ask that.

"No, it's not. It's human blood on the knife. We only thought it was a goat because we'd found a goat in the trashcan nearby but now we have enough evidence to know that the blood is of human origin."

"Interesting, so goat might have nothing to do with this whole thing?" Alex questioned, deep in thought.

"Exactly, but then why would someone just throw a goat in a garbage can? Did they not think we would examine the knife?" He asked in confusion but Alex had her own set of questions to ask.

"Who found the second blade?" she asked as they turned down the corridor.

"Officer Cameron did," he replied.

"How far away was it from the first blade?"

"About thirty, thirty-five meters or so."

"Did we find any finger prints on this one?"

"No," Mason replied. "It would sound careless but it seems like someone had dropped it by mistake; but why would someone throw a knife with human blood on a street and just drop its replica just anywhere? It's ridiculously careless, Alex."

A smile appeared on Alex's face. "He's playing with us." she replied. "Any leads on the blood?"

"Officer Manning is already on it."

She asked the question that constantly flickered in her brain. "And the inscription?"

"I've run a background check on everyone with the name 'Michalchuk'. I was right though, the name's not that popular."

"How many?"

"In Toronto, less than fifty, if I count the women, young and the old; in Ontario, maybe a few more."

"Hmmm" Alex responded distantly.

There was something about Alex's expression this time that had alarmed him.

"Boss, what's wrong?" he asked.

Gavin only referred to her by that name when either he was extremely excited about a finding he had discovered, or if the conversation was of a personal nature.

"It's probably nothing," Alex, who was equally confused, did not want to say anything before she had all the facts.

**

* * *

**"Chief," Alex said as they entered the briefing room and nodded first at Chief Simpson, and then at the other two officers.

She walked to the front of the room and threw a quick glance at Chief's face before she took a chair next to him. _'Gavin was right, Chief does look worried'_, she thought.

Gavin went to sit across from her and nodded at Officer Cameron.

Officer Cameron pressed a button on his computer which made a blue light appear in the middle of the table. The light quickly turned into a holographic image of a switchblade.

A/N: *** check out the pic ... Bloodline; Chapter 2, PICTURE from my profile page ***

"This history of switchblade knives can be traced back to the seventeenth century. They had been mostly of English or French origin and were considered unique; made one piece at a time from wrought iron."

The officer then pressed another button on the keyboard and an inscription that was barely visible with the naked eye magnified in front of them.

"They each used to have a maker's mark or tang stamps to catalog them. Through these markings, they could be traced back to their maker. Our knives are definitely one, or in this case, two of a kind, and are at least three thousand years old. The design on them could be the family's emblem or could represent something of significance to the family," he finished before turning off the hologram.

"What were they used for?" Alex asked Officer Cameron.

"As much as we can tell by examining the quality of iron, they were not supposed to be used as a weapon. It's not pure iron. There's gold mixed with it. We're still running the XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) Analysis on it to figure out the exact consistency of the gold, but my guess would be that the purpose of these knives was merely decoration, collection or they were used as a gift from the family to honor a guest."

"Manning, did you examine the blood?" Agent Mason asked, turning toward the officer.

"It's a type O, Rhesus positive blood. A very common blood type and is nearly impossible to trace until we know who to test. I have run the scan with everyone in our database without any luck, and I have entered the blood report in the system if you want to read it." Manning said.

"Thanks, Officer Manning," Alex replied.

"Agent Mason?" the Chief asked turning towards him.

"The name Michalchuk is of Ukrainian origin and we simply don't have many of them in Canada. Those who are here have mostly migrated from Eastern Europe. If they're listed, they would be easy to track down."

"I want to go through the name list myself, Gavin." Alex interjected.

"My office, Nunez." the Chief suddenly ordered, getting up from his chair. "You too, Mason."

* * *

To be continued...  
pls review.


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